A Special Line of Clothing To Help Chemo Patients – And Pelotonia

A Special Line of Clothing To Help Chemo Patients – And Pelotonia

I forgot to ask, but I’m pretty sure Tess Schuster, Megan Stengel, Mandy Eckman and Bethany Skaff got an A for their entrepreneurial project at Miami University.

The project was to create a business plan for a new company.

Mandy, Bethany, Megan and Tess (L to R) will host a Pelotonia fundraiser on Aug. 11

“Megan’s mom was going through dialysis and was cutting holes in her shirt [for the needle] and she came up with the idea and the rest of us jumped on board,” Tess said.

The idea was to create a line of clothing that included hidden zippers, so dialysis patients – who often get cold while receiving treatment – don’t have to rip up their clothes or wear short-sleeve shirts and shiver for a few hours.

The four friends, who graduated from Miami in 2009, turned their project into an actual company: Libre Clothing. The company sells a line of clothing for dialysis patients – and also offers clothes for cancer patients that include zippers for easy access to the chest ports used for chemo treatment.

Libre Clothing will host a Pelotonia fundraising event and fashion show on August 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Harrison Park Club House. Admission is $20 and every dollar will go to the fundraising accounts of Pelotonia riders Mike Kuhnell, Connor Ferguson and Craig Krenzel.

And yes, it’s that Craig Krenzel, quarterback of the Buckeyes most recent national championship football team. This will be Craig’s third Pelotonia ride.

The show will feature clothes from the Libre line, as well as boutiques from around Columbus. There will be food and drinks, music, and there will be a raffle for prizes.

Celebrity models include former Buckeyes basketball player Kyle Madson, local NBC newscasters Monica Day and Matt Barnes.

For now, Tess, Megan, Mandy and Bethany have “regular” fulltime jobs to “help pay the rent,” Tess said. The goal is to grow and grow Libre, so that one day the four partners can devote all their time to the company.

An important part of the business plan for Libre is to give back to the community, and they often partner with nonprofits organizations for fundraisers and donate a percentage of their sales to these organizations. Partnering with Pelotonia was an easy decision, Tess said.

“We have connections with The James and we had some friends riding and wanted to do something to support it,” Tess said.